The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1887-06-01
A CITY OF CANAL BOATS.
A COMMUNITY THAT COMES AND
GOES WITH THE SEASONS.

FAR to the south when the tow-path
mariner hauls his craft through the gap
into the Morris Canal basin at Jersey
City and begins to make thing snug and
tight for the winter He finds in that
tide basin, where the mud is bare twice
day except in the channel nearly half
thousand other boats lying as close to-
gether as sardines in a box, and, hauling
up alongside the feet, he makes fast to
his neighbor and becomes part of the
oddest winter city in the world. If he
gets in early and has luck he secures the
gbcrth at the wharf, and the Others take
their places outside of his boat as fast
as they arrive, and all are lashed together
so as to form a solid mass. AS canal
boats are bluff bowed and almost square
sterned, there is very little open space be-
tween them, and one can walk over the
whole feet as easily as over a raft. For
greater convenience, and to prevent ac-
cidental slipping of foot between the
sides, planks are laid from rail to rail
and sometimes from deck to house, and
every boats deck is made q thorough
fare for the inhabitants of the winter
city.
Landing at the western end of the Lib
erty Street Ferry and walking up the
railroad track past the dry docks, where
big vessels are being scraped, coppered,
and generally overhauled, one can look
across the narrow-gap channel and see
the great canal feet as one vast deck
with innumerable cabins and houses
built upon it. Here and there, at low
tide, an isolated hulk lies, rotting in the
,.l III, -,
telling the story of its departed useful
ness and abandonment to slow decay. To
reach the fleet the gap must be crossed,
and there is no bridge. The traveller
who passes that way has the choice of
three methods of getting from one Sec
tion of the street to the other. He can
make detour of a mile, swim across, or
whistle for the ferryman. On the south
ern hand of the gap is a plain board
shanty and gang plank running down
to small float stage, that sometimes
floats and at other times rests in the mud.
Chalked on the end of the shanty, in
rude style, is the legend: "Fair sents. "
This sign and a flat-bottom punt at the
float indicate that ferry is maintained
here. A whistle brings out the ferry
man, who will scull the punt across the
gap, not disdaning the assistance of
passenger who may feel inclined to take
up the two oars, conveniently lashed to
the thole-pins, and pull few strokes. At
the other side, if the passenger be active
and the tide low, he can grasp hanging
chain and scramble up the wharf timbers
to rough ladder and so up to the street,
and if he be not agile he may get boost
from the ferryman.
Access to the canal feet is had from
the wharves on that side of the gap, and
from the gang plank to the first boat all
the Others may be reached. AS spring
approaches the boatmen begin making
repairs and alterations on their craft, and
the sound of hammer and saw is heard
from all directions. On board one of the
boats near the wharf lank, grizzled
skipper is hauling up potatoes from the
hold and selling them to peddler whose
wagon stands near. There is little of the
sailor in the appearance of the average
tow-path mariner. He generally looks
like Jersey farmer and dresses like one.
The old fellow standing on the canal
boats deck, selling potatoes by the peck,
looks more farmer like than the average.
The cabin of canal-boat is hoase in
very small compass. 1t is situated well
aft, and is about fifteen feet fore and aft,
and almost the width of the deck, the
house rising about three feet above
deck and leaving a narrow passage way
on each side. Usually the cabin is di-
vided into three Compartments large
living room, sleeping-room, and a
kitchen. Under the deck, on the port
side of the large room, is an extra berth,
and lockers, called closets by the canal
men, are plentiful AS these cabins are
inhabited and cared for generally by wo-
men, the wives of the shippers, there is
nothing nautical about them. Rocking
chairs, sewing machines, pictures, bird
cages, and pot plants give them home
like appearance, and Danish all sugges-
uons of life on the rolling deep. But
the canal boat does get bit of rolling
once in while, and presumably the
Kerosene lamps standing on shelves are
then safely slowed and the furniture
lashed. Some of the boats go through
the canal to Lake Champlain and are
towed across the lake or down to some
OF the ports, perhaps distance of seventy
hye miles. Storms occasionally arise, and
the canalman in his iat-bottom craft gets
taste Of navigating, being obliged to
step a mast and rig up storm sail in
order to keep the boats head up if the
tow-line breaks. The perils of the lake
passage and how the crew of the Eliza
Jane remained up all night holding the
deck cargo from rolling overheard are
topics for thrilling yarns spun by the
ancient mariners of the canal as they
smoke their pipes around the cheerful
cylinder stoves, when icy blasts are career
ing over the winter city.
The tidy housewives, accustomed to
pure country air, free from smoke and dirt.
regard the winter soiourn in the basin as
as an affection. Twice a day the boats
near the wharves rest upon mud, which is
not pleasant, and when the wind is in
the right quarter the smoke from the
chimueys of the sugar house covers every
thing with SCOT and keeps them busy
scrubbing. When this occurs on washing
day much treble scolding may be heard
in the fleet, and the shippers, having
learned wisdom by experience bowse up
Jib and bear away for Jersey City on ur-